Friday, September 9, 2011

Conan + Foo Fighters = A Damn Good Time!


Foo Fighters perform on Conan O'Brien 

When: Thursday, September 8, 2011
Venue: Warner Brothers Studio, Stage 8, Los Angeles
Accompanied by: Briya, Megan and Sarah
Genre: Rock 

Getting a ticket to the Conan O'Brien show is a challenge in itself, but getting a ticket to the Conan O'Brien show when the Foo Fighters are performing seemed impossible. But with friends like the ones I have in my life, it turns out that nothing is impossible! So while I probably should have been home in bed recuperating from a silly sinus infection, I was instead out in Burbank waiting to see one of my most favorite bands. Those of you who know me would expect nothing less.

First off, I gotta say that the Conan O'Brien show is one well put together gig. I've only been to a handful of other tapings for various types of shows, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But the fact that this has been one of the hottest weeks of the year, I was a little worried. Turned out the waiting area was in a parking structure  with a decent amount of bench seating...which meant no having to stand in the hot sun. That was a huge relief. Then a guy handed out popsicles to help keep us cool. Very nice. And best of all, rather than making everybody walk the 1/2 mile from the parking structure to the studio, they provided air conditioned buses to get us there in style. A+ all the way around!! Oh, and when we got to the studio, gatorade was made available to everyone. And when we left the studio, we were given a DVD of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Season 6.

If you watched Conan last night, 9/8, you got to see the boys do Walk. But also be sure to tune in Thursday, 9/15 to catch their performance of Dear Rosemary, with Bob Mould. A M A Z I N G!

But even once the show was over, it really wasn't over for those of us lucky enough to be a part of the studio audience! To help "warm up" for the upcoming tour, they broke into the majority of songs off Wasting Light and ended with 2 classics. A 9 song set that made everyone dance in their seats. Which, to be honest, was the hardest part about the whole day. We wanted to stand and rock out, but it was not the consensus, so we made do. Chances are the whole set will be online somewhere down the line because the cameras never stopped rolling. And I'm sure there a few people seated in the front that would like nothing more than to relive Dave shredding in their laps. Oh what a day!!

Setlist: Walk, Dear Rosemary (performed w/ Bob Mould), Bridge Burning, Rope, White Limo, Arlandria, These Days, All My Life and Everlong

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

August Highlights - Weezer and RHCP


Weezer

When: Thursday, August 4, 2011
Venue: Pacific Amphitheater, Orange County Fairgrounds CA
Accompanied by: Cosmo, Gabrielle and John
Genre:  Alt/Progressive Rock
Nothing quite says summer like giant sized corn dogs, a variety of fried foods (ranging from butter to Jello), over sized turkey legs and an evening spent with Weezer and good friends!!
Granted, we stayed away from the fried foods, but I did pick up a bag of delicious kettle corn to enjoy during the show. And what a show it was!! Weezer is one of those bands where you can't help but have a good time. Add to it, being outdoors on a warm summer night and all is right with the world.
Not a terribly long set list...but good for a Fair gig
I came across this review of the show, and it sums it all up quite nicely. 


RHCP
When: Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Venue: Club Nokia, Los Angeles, CA
Accompanied by: Gabrielle
Genre:  Alternative Rock
Club Nokia hosted the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ benefit concert for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, a non-profit musical education organization founded by Flea and Keith Barry that teaches kids the fundamentals of music and provides instruments. And thanks to my amazing friend, Gabrielle, we were there to enjoy the show!!
This is one of those iconic bands that I have not followed closely. Always enjoy what I hear for radio play, but don't own a single album. I think Flea is an amazing musician, so when the opportunity came up for me to see RHCP, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. The energy of the crowd was intense...and it didn't take long to figure out why. When the band took the stage, it was non stop insanity of a rock n roll kind.  It's no wonder they have minimal body fat!!
Setlist: Monarchy of Roses, Can't Stop, Charlie, Ethiopia, Meet Me at the Corner, I like Dirt, The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie, Throw Away Your Television, Factory of Faith, Right on Time, Did I Let You Know, Californication, Look Around, Soul to Squeeze, By the Way

Encore: Drum Solo, Jam, Sir Psycho Sexy, They're Red Hot (cover), Give It Away